Baxter County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Baxter County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Baxter County was created on 24 Mar 1873[2] and named for Elisha Baxter, the tenth governor of Arkansas.[3] Its county seat is Mountain Home.[4] It is located in the northern area of the state.[5]
County Courthouse
Baxter County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
1 E 7th Street
Mountain Home, AR 72653
Phone: 870-425-3475
Baxter County Website
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, land and court records.[6]
Baxter County, Arkansas
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914 | 1873 | 1914 | 1874 | 1876 | 1874 | 1830 |
Record Loss
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[9]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
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History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were taken from the Baxter County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [10]
- 1808 - The Osage relinquished their claims to this area to the United States.
- Most of the pioneers moving into the area before the Civil War were from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
- 1819 - The county’s earliest recorded town was Big Clarkridge.
- Baxter was not yet a county during the Civil War
- 1873 - March 24 - Governor Baxter formed Baxter County.
Resources
Bible Records
- Foster-Martin Family Bible Record, Baxter County, Arkansas, Contributed by Rochelle Males at IAAM Center for Family History
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 6,004 | — |
| 1890 | 8,527 | 42.0% |
| 1900 | 9,298 | 9.0% |
| 1910 | 10,389 | 11.7% |
| 1920 | 10,216 | −1.7% |
| 1930 | 9,519 | −6.8% |
| 1940 | 10,281 | 8.0% |
| 1950 | 11,683 | 13.6% |
| 1960 | 9,943 | −14.9% |
| 1970 | 15,319 | 54.1% |
| 1980 | 27,409 | 78.9% |
| 1990 | 31,186 | 13.8% |
| 2000 | 38,386 | 23.1% |
| 2010 | 41,513 | 8.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
- 1875-1899 Nebraska, Church Records, 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
- 1874-1889 Court Records, 1874-1889(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1880-1884 Court Records, 1880-1884(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Court Records. By Baxter County Court, Arkansas. Baxter County, Arkansas : Baxter County, Arkansas. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- Conner Family Funeral home and Cremation Center in Mountain Home
- Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services in Mountain Home
- Roller Funeral Home in Mountain Home
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1873-1949 Baxter County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979
- Includes Accounts 1874-1889; Administration records 1873-1944; Guardian records 1890-1949; Wills 1873-1931.
Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Baxter County. They may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more about local histories, see Arkansas Local Histories.
- History of Baxter County. By Frances H. Shiras. Mountain Home, Arkansas : J. W. Daniel and Shiras Bros. Print Shop. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
- 1890-1963 Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
- 1891-1939 Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
- 1901-1929 Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Baxter newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Baxter County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Fayetteville Daily Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Daily Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Northwest Arkansas Times at Ancestry.com ($)
- Courier Times at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1783–1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1837-1931 Baxter County Arkansas List of Will Book Testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills - free
- 1873-1949 Probate Records, 1873-1949(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Vital Records
Birth
| Y | M | |
| Name of Child | ||
| Birth Date and Place | ||
| Parent's Names | ||
| Mother's Maiden Name | ||
| Parent's Ages | ||
| Father's Occupation | ||
| Current Residence | ||
| Name of Doctor or Midwife | ||
In 1877, a few county and city clerks[11] started keeping birth and death records.
In 1914, the state law required all county clerks to record births and forward them to the state.
- Arkansas Births and Christenings, 1812-1965 at FamilySearch. (Free, index only)
- Small file, but worth searching. Most entries were user-submitted.
See also: • Arkansas Online Genealogy Records, • How to Find Arkansas Birth Records and • Arkansas Vital Records—Birth.
Marriage
- 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1800-Onward Arkansas Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1837-1957 Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch — Free; Index- How to Use this Collection
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
- 1873-1921 Baxter County Marriage Index 1873-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[12]
- 1873-1921 Baxter County Marriage Index 1873-1921 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
Death
- 1812-Onward Arkansas Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
- 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
Divorce
- 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
Voting Records
- 1700-Onward Arkansas Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1868-1910 Arkansas, County Voter Registration Records, 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Baxter County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Harrison Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Mountain Home Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Mountain View Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Berryville Public Library - an affiliate library
- Jim G Ferguson Searcy County Library - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Baxter County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Baxter County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Baxter County Heritage Center
808 S Baker St
P.O. Box 2125
Mountain Home, AR
Phone: 870-425-2551
Email: bcheritagecenter@gmail.com
Website
Facebook
Websites
- USGenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives
- Linkpendium
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides
References
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Arkansas: Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/AR_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Baxter County, Arkansas," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baxter_County,_Arkansas&oldid=1169853280 (accessed August 18, 2023).
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Baxter County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/baxter/.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Baxter County, Arkansas. Page 67 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 65.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors,"Baxter County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baxter_County,_Arkansas#Communities, accessed 29 August 2018.
- ↑ Jane Andrewson, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=747&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed 2016 01 07), “Baxter County.”
- ↑ such as Sebastian County (Fort Smith) and Pulaski County (Little Rock) (No entry in FamilySearch Catalog found for Pulaski County nor for Little Rock, Aug 2014)
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/5/5c/Igiarkansasad.pdf.
